


In the Light of Day

by moon_sunhae



Category: Mamamoo
Genre: Angst, Comfort, F/F, Rekindling relationships, Unresolved Issues, byulyi is mostly confused, yongsun really likes bottling up her emotions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-11
Updated: 2018-11-11
Packaged: 2019-08-22 06:12:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16592348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moon_sunhae/pseuds/moon_sunhae
Summary: Yongsun tells herself it was inevitable, that between the physical separations and their busy schedules, it was only a matter of time. In the end, it was nobody’s fault that they drifted apart and out of each other’s lives eventually. -Almost ten years after Mamamoo's last comeback, an unexpected reunion forces Yongsun to face not only her past with Byulyi, but also the lingering shadow's of the past she'd much rather leave buried.





	In the Light of Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prologue was originally posted way back last year, when I had plans to take the story in a very different direction. However, I got to a point where I thought the story didn't make sense anymore for the characters, so I decided to change a lot of what I originally wanted to happen. Nothing much hast changed in terms of what I posted, but I still felt it fair to point it out.

She’s waiting for her tube after work when she sees it. It’s one article between many on her phone’s news app, yet her eyes catch the familiar names immediately.

 

_UNEXPECTED REUNION: Hwasa’s comeback single written and produced by Moonbyul, former MAMAMOO co-member_

 

Her heart drops to the pit of her stomach – like it always does when this part of her life makes a sudden and unforeseen reappearance in one way or another. 

Her thumb hovers above the headline, trembling a little above the letters as if to taunt her for her cowardice. It takes her three deep breaths before she finds the courage to tap the screen. The article reveals a chunk of text and a picture. It’s an old image of all four of them, youthful faces grinning brightly, arms looped. Yongsun almost winces at the sudden sharp tug in her chest.

 

_Solo artist Hwasa revealed on September 14th on her official Twitter account that her new title track “What About It”, which is scheduled to be released September 28, was written and produced by Moonbyul, former rapper of Hwasa’s original group Mamamoo._

_“This upcoming title track will be especially meaningful to those of you who've been with me since the beginning, because I got to work with someone very special who I haven't worked with in a long time.”_

_This will be the first time the two former girl group members release a song together since their group’s disbandment. The reveal came as a surprise to many fans._

_“Did I read that right? Hwasa and Moonbyul? Rap line coming back together at last! Mamamoo’s bond seemed so tight back in the day, I can’t wait to see some of the members reunite musically as well!”_ _[365 upvotes | 27 downvotes]_

 _“Two former Mamamoo members working on a song together?! Song of the year incoming!”_ _[241 upvotes | 47 downvotes]_

 _“I can’t believe we’re finally going to get some interactions from the girls after years of drought (excluding Hwasa’s and Wheein’s occasional shared photos on instagram)! I missed seeing them together so much! Be Lis Ma Moo, this song will be amazing! Best of luck!”_ _[239 upvotes | 33 downvotes]_

_Mamamoo was a four membered girl group that disbanded in early 2021 after completing their contract with RBW Entertainment._

_Hwasa and Moonbyul are the only two members still active in the industry today, after_ _Solar’s surprising end of solo endeavors_ _after a record string of album releases in 2024 and Wheein’s retirement from the industry in 2026._

 

It’s not like they wanted to part ways. It’s not like they planned to lose touch. Life just ended up pulling them all in different directions.

Yongsun tells herself it was inevitable, that between the physical separations and their busy schedules, it was only a matter of time. It was natural for them to see each other less frequently. There was no one to blame for the reducing number of messages. In the end, it was nobody’s fault that they drifted apart and out of each other’s lives eventually. 

It’s been almost ten years since Mamamoo disbanded. It’s been eight since Yongsun last met with the girls. She keeps tabs on them – tells herself it’s got nothing to do with nostalgia and everything to do with being unable to shake off the habits of being their leader. 

Yongsun knows Wheein went to travel and pursue her art after a couple years as a soloist. 

Hyejin has been in and out the charts ever since Mamamoo stopped promoting together. 

And Byulyi… 

Yongsun swallows thickly as she thinks of the headlines. 

Byulyi had a girlfriend three years after they disbanded, a sweet looking girl who never quite lost the deer-caught-in-headlights look when confronted with the cameras. The world wasn’t exactly ready to hear about a gay idol – but Byulyi was ready to tell. 

Yongsun remembers the headlines and the comments online. She remembers the way her stomach churned, the way her fingers fiddled with her phone. She remembers itching to dial a number she wasn’t even sure still existed to check in with a girl who she knew was just as brave as she was sensitive.

They’d lost touch just long enough for a sudden approach to be awkward and Yongsun couldn’t come up with a good thing to say, not after how much hurt she’d caused Byulyi before they lost touch. Not after all that’s happened.  
She never got the guts to call. 

The news died down eventually, and Yongsun learned to breathe again when Byulyi’s name started popping up in friendlier contexts. Nevertheless, Moon Byulyi left the stage behind.

She traded stardom for refuge, Korea for Switzerland. She made a home in a foreign place and started building a new career from abroad.

Yongsun started seeing her name in song credits. Byulyi has always had a way with words - Yongsun remembers how she used to think the other girl’s thoughts just tumbled straight from her mind as poetry -  so she was hardly surprised to learn that Moon Byulyi had taken up work as a lyricist. Recently, her name would appear in producer credits as well. 

They all found a place for themselves - Yongsun too, as a vocal coach. But although most of them still work within the same industry, their paths had yet to cross again. 

Yongsun wonders if Byulyi and Hyejin stayed in touch all this time, or if they only recently reconnected. She wonders who approached whom… wonders, with a deep sigh as she gets on the tube home, if perhaps she really was the only one who broke away.

 


End file.
